Translations

I just finished reading Translations by Brian Friel and I feel that it was a good way to close the semester. I really enjoyed the play and it called to mind the question of does the name of a place effect the identity of it's people? It is fascinating to see how people relate to the name of their location. In Translations it became obvious that by the British taking the Gaellic names and Anglicizing them, it made the Irish people feel as if they had lost a part of their identity.

I think that people identify themselves by where they are from and by the name of their town. People up here always ask where you are from and they identify you with what you say. It makes a person proud of where they came from and proud to be part of their community. It shows that people identify with places, also that place's customs, believes, and ideas.

To find out more about a person's identity check out this website:
http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/identity/

Power in Power

In class on Tuesday we talked about the power within Power. We talked about the power of the panther to the Tigia Tribe, the power of nature, of dreams, and the power of truth. One truth we talked about was very important to me and it was the power of confidence. We talked about how Omishto had power over the sheriff when she states, "You won't ever lay a hand on me again", "never. And I'm never going back" (208). After Omishto states this the sheriff steps back and begins to grow smaller in her eyes. She even states that he seems to have a weak back. It shows that even when someone is pushing or bullying you that having confidence in yourself can help. My Mother always tells me to have confidence in myself or else people will run over me. She says that if someone is bullying you or running over you, you are making yourself the victim and you are allowing them to do that to you. You are the only person that can truly fight for you. You have to have confidence in yourself or else people will hurt or use you. Self confidence is one of my highest priorities and I never want to lose it. You have to have confidence in yourself or else no one ever will have confidence in you.

Having self confidence is not easy and many factors affecting self confidence are beyond your control, but there are a number of things you can consciously do to build self confidence.
Here is a website with 10 quick strategies to achieve a higher self confidence:
http://www.pickthebrain.com/blog/10-ways-to-instantly-build-self-confidence/

Here is a video I found on You Tube it is so awesome:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=__Gs02ZmUmE&feature=related

Power

Today in class we talked about the courts in Power, the tribal and the U.S. courts. We talked about how they are different and how Omishto feels when she is in both places. When she is in the U.S. court you get the feeling that she feels out of place, but when she is in the tribal court she still feels out of place. At certain times she seems to shift towards the Taiga tribe, but in others she shifts away from the tribe.For example on pg. 161 when she states, "I am both home and a foreigner here in their presence" when she is talking about the tribal elders. I think that Omishto feels as if she is torn between two very different worlds like she says on pg. 161, "I know they'd like to wash civilization off them and wash it all onto her just the same as the lawyers and judge in the courthouse wanted to clean all the wildness off them, onto her". It shows that she is involved in two very different world and sometimes she shifts towards one or the other.

It is also interesting that she never really told the whole truth to either one of the courts. I think in the U.S. court if she would have stated that the panther was actually sick before Ama killed it then it would have affected the jury and their thoughts even though they eventually found her not guilty it still would have affected the jury and their empathy towards Ama. In the tribal court if she would have stated that the panther was sick I truly think that the tribe may not have been able to handle it. I think the truth would have just hurt the tribe, they might not have banished Ama, but who knows what would happen to the tribe if they knew the whole truth.

If you would like to know more about current Tribal courts and codes, here is a website:

http://www.tribal-institute.org/

Short Paper 2

I just finished writing Short Paper 2 and I must say I am shocked with how easy the assignment went. I am not very creative with my writing, so I figured that coming up with a whole new part to one of the texts I read was going to be really challenging. To my surprise once I sat down and brainstormed thru the assignment ideas just started following. I came up with about three different options and then chose one that I think is the best option. My paper turned out pretty good and I am excited to start working on Paper 2 where I actually get to go into details. I am highly enjoying this assignment.


How about you?

What's In a Name

Yesterday in class we talked about people's names and if the person makes the name or the name makes the person. I believe that a person shapes the name, I know about 20 different Lauren's and all of them are different. I believe there are stereotypes for certain names, but that does not mean that the person with that name must live up to that stereotype. Since my name is highly unusual I get stereotyped a lot just from my name. Many people think that I am from a foreign Country just because of my name. They also do not expect me to be white a lot of the time, which is not a bad thing. I like my name and I would not change it no matter what.

Find out with your name means: (not actually factual, but fun)
http://www.urbandictionary.com/

Two-in-One

In class we discussed if it is possible for people to be more than one thing, such as Indian and American or Irish and German. I think it is possible for a person to be more than one thing, but I feel like they are pulled more to one side or the other. I feel that certain situations and people will cause them to relate to either side. I do not think they necessarily have to choose between one or the other, but in certain situations they are going to relate more to one side than the other. I think that it is totally up to the individual if they want to relate more to one side or not. I know when I am with my friends that I made up here I act more northern and I lose my southern accent, but when I am with my friends at home I have a heavy southern accent and tend to be more laid back. I think which side of yourself you choose has a lot to do with the situation and the people you are around.

(Friends from here..can you find me??)

(Peaches in ND!!!)

Having a place!!

Last week I realized that feeling out of place can happen at any location or time, but also having the feeling of being connected can occur. Last week my grandfather got sick, so my family and I went to visit him in the hospital. While being in the waiting room my family and I were joined by more family members from my dad’s side of the family. Some of them I have met and some of them I had not. While my parents were talking and introducing my sister and me to the new relatives, I sat back in my chair and observed my crazy family. I noticed that with a few of the new members of the family I felt a strong connection to them as if they had always been there and with some I felt like we were complete strangers. Since my dad was the only one to move away from his home town my cousins have all grown up together and where very close. My sister and I did not seem to fit in with them at all, we both felt out of place and different. Since they were all raised in a small town in the middle of Kansas most of them are “hicks” as I like to call it and since my sister and I are “city girls” we didn’t exactly fit in with them. While being in the waiting room I realized that my immediate family and I are very close and that I am highly connected to my sister. There were times when I would just look at her and she would laugh because she knew exactly what I am thinking. It’s really strange how certain people and situations make us feel out of place or connected. I think it has a lot to do with being in one’s own comfort zone or environment.

The End of "O"

Today in class we finished "O", I must admit that I was shocked and really didn't like the ending of the movie. I really liked the ending in Othello when they all died on the same bed and in "O" they all died in different places. The end of Othello made the characters seem very connected and left the reader/watcher with a very distinct impression of the story. Another thing that bothers me about "O" is that Hugo gets off free, he just goes to jail instead of dying like he did in Othello. One thing that I noticed about "O" is that Hugo kind of seemed to know that the plan was not going to work, when he got caught he didn't even fight or break down. Also in the end he says something about how he has all the attention now like he wanted. It makes it seem that he knew that his plan wasn't going to work, like he wanted to get caught so that his father and the rest of the town would finally pay attention to him. The plan in "O" also bothers me, there is no way that they would not get caught I mean almost every character touched the gun which means it had their fingerprints and Odin also touched Mike's glass with his bare hands which means that his fingerprints were on there too. I just think it is ridiculous that they would even think that their plan was going to work. One aspect I did like about "O" is that contrast between the white dove and the hawk in which I think plays on racial cues and the difference between Hugo and Iago. In general I like the movie, but I do not think that it is very realistic, especially the end.

"O"

I am really liking the movie "O" we are watching in class. It is really interesting how the director took something from hundred of years ago and put it into a very modern movie. It is amazing how relevant Shakespeare's works are to our lives now. Though Shakespeare is not universal, there are certain situations in "O" and Othello that translate into today. Such things as how Iago and Hugo both manipulate the people around them to get the things they want in life, which still happens today. Another situation is the racial/stereotypical indications, such as the hawk and the dove in "O" and how people relate violence, drugs and gangs to young black men (like they do in "O") It is fun to relate the book to the movie and find how certain things click. It is interesting how the director interpreted Shakespeare's words and how we are able to connect the scenes in the play to the movie. I think the movie also makes Shakespeare easier to understand and not so boring. I cannot wait to see how the movie turns out!!

Oh Oh Othello

In class last time we watched a clip of Othello and discussed it. I would just like to say that I interpreted the reading different then the movie showed it. I think that happens a lot with reading that turns in a production. This is very evident with Twilight, I read the book before I saw the movie and there were multiple things that I interpreted differently then how the movie showed it. It just shows that people have very different interpretations of things and that not very single person is going to imagine the same thing. Harry Potter is another example of this, many people that read the books are disappointed in the movies because they feel that it did not follow the book or that they imagined something completely different. This shows that people read and imagine things differently in their minds and what you think is going on, may not be what the person next to you thinks is going on.

Othello

In Othello, I think it is highly interesting how Iago manipulates everyone in the play. It's like Iago is on the outside looking in and controlling very character in some way, yet the other characters don't even seem to notice that Iago is controlling them. It really drives me insane, at some points in the play I just want to grab some of the characters and shake them. I want them to wake up to the fact that Iago is manipulating them. Another thing I am interested in is how the situations in Othello are still present now days. Like how some people manipulate other people in their lifes and how rumors get started that cause people to want to take revenge. Like the rumor about Othello sleeping with Iago's wife, which causes him to come up with this elborate scheme to hurt Othello. This situation is highly common in society now days and many people are effected by it. Othello has multiple aspects within it that can be related to everyday life.

Girl Interrupted

Girl Interrupted was a very interesting movie and was not quite what I expected. In class we discussed certain movie lingo and terms that were present in the movie, such things as flashbacks, angle of the camera and costumes of the characters. The movie was littered with such things, one scene that caught my eye was when Lisa was down in the tunnel reading Susan's diary. It caught my eye because of the multiple camera angles, especially when Susan is looking for Lisa and the other in the tunnels and she comes to cross-roads within the tunnel and cannot figure out which tunnel to take to get to Lisa. The camera angle is amazing it pans from one tunnel to the next, to the next. It makes you feel like you are the one searching for the right way to go and it makes you feel lost and confused. Another scene that caught my attention is at Daisy's house. All the colors in her house are really bright and cheerful, when in reality her life is really sad and depressing. The house and the colors play as a mask for Daisy to hide how she really feels inside. Flashbacks were a big part of this movie, they helped viewers connect the dots and made things start to make sense. One flashback that I feel that has some importance is when Susan flashes back to a party at her house, where one of the dad's comes up to her room and tries to have intimate relations with her. The scene showed that she had already had a relationship with this man and helped to explain a scene that would come later on in the movie. The movie was very insightful and I really did enjoy watching it. I also enjoyed eating my gummi-worms during the movie!!! :)

Yellow Wallpaper

I really did enjoy reading this work of literature. It shows how some people are trapped by their society and their own minds when it comes to expressing themselves. The work also sheds some light on how the society worked in that time. If you were sick you were taken away and hidden, so you wouldn't embarrass or hurt your family's standing. It really shows how socitey repressed individual expression and creativity. I also like the part that the guy fainted when girls were the one's that were suppose to faint in that time.

Woolf

According to Virginia Woolf "a woman must have money and a room of her own if she is to write fiction" and I would have to agree. I would agree with Paula Maggio when she links freedom and empowerment of Woolf's "room" to blogs. Blogs allow anyone, no matter race, age, sex, or location to openly express their ideas. People can write about anything they want on blogs and though someone may criticize them for it, they still have the ability to get their ideas out and put it in writing. It's like having our own little "room" where we can go and openly express ourselves and write what we feel with out being faced with some one telling us what to write or what to think.

Woolf really sheds a light on the history of women writers and the things they had to overcome to become good writers. She makes you think about the importance of getting your ideas out and having a "room" in which this is possible.

Lives and Times

This will be my blog for my class: Lives and Times.

The class is going well so far. I like the reading that is assigned and I really enjoy the in-class discussions that occur. I like to hear other's opinions and see how they interpreted the reading. It allows people to think in a different way and open their minds in ways that they never thought of before.

I feel that this class will open my eyes to the relationships between people and with our surroundings. I feel that it will also help me to "close read" literature and learn to look for the true meaning within the writing.

*I still do not like the snow!!


A metaphor for my writing would have to be like going to the grocery store to pick out the perfect meal. There are always so many options of items, you can get just plain peanut butter or you can get creamy or chunky and then there is always four or more different brands to choose from. Choosing the right brand and type of food is like trying to find the right words to use that will make my paper work. If you happen to choose the wrong type or brand then it can ruin your whole meal. Another factor is other people, if other people have taken all peanut butter you need to make the perfect meal, then you are going to have to alter your recipe which in turn could alter the entire meal. It's like having your teacher look over your draft and give you suggests for improvement. To make the perfect meal you also have to have all the ingredients, which is having all your ideas and thoughts well put together in your paper. In the end you either come out with the perfect meal or something you wouldn't even let your dog eat. It all depends on the ingredients that you chose to use.